These pork ribs with vinegar peppers are not your average bbq ribs
Once upon a time there was a restaurant nearby us called Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza. They had great coal fired wings and pizzas, but our absolute favorite thing was Anthony’s Coal Fired Italian Pork Ribs with Vinegar Peppers. We were obsessed! One day we took a drive to this treasured spot and they had closed! We later learned Anthony’s is actually a franchise restaurant and majority of the establishments are located elsewhere in the country. While this gave us hope we would one day have these crave-able ribs once again, I never stopped thinking about them.
Eventually and gratefully, I FINALLY came across a copy cat recipe that did not disappoint! These ribs came out perfect and were as close to how I remember as possible, sans cooking them in a coal fired pizza oven!
What is the difference between Baby Back Ribs & St. Louis Style Ribs?
Let’s get one thing straight- Baby Backs and St Louis Style Ribs are both mouth wateringly delicious when cooked properly. However, they do have some differences.
St. Louis style ribs, also known as “spare ribs”, are larger than baby backs and have both more meat and more fat, but are not always as tender as the popular Baby Backs.
Baby Backs have a noticeable curve in the bones, meat above and below the bone, and are wider on one side and narrower on the other. St. Louis ribs are straight and flat, have more meat in-between the bones rather than above and below it.
Baby Backs come from the loin area which is a more tender area of the pig, and are best known for the “fall off the bone” style bbq. St. Louis Ribs, on the other hand, have tougher meat that while still tender, are best used when you want to have a rib that offers some resistance to it that can hold up to a few independent bites and be able to make clean cuts through each bone without the meat tearing away from it.
How to remove the Rib Membrane
Flip the ribs upside down. Slide a knife between the meat and the thin membrane, which is not recommended to eat. Lift the knife to pull the membrane away from the meat. Use a paper towel to grab it and pull. If you can’t remove it in one pull do it in sections.
What Internal Temperature Should Ribs be cooked to?
The short answer is about 200°F. Then pull and let rest.
Temperature is important because like all meats, there is no “exact amount of time” to guarantee consistent results in any recipe. This is because all cuts of meat are different thickness, contain different fat levels, and even our ovens and grills all cook differently. This is why a meat thermometer is really necessary for ensure a perfect cook. For a very detailed, but easy to follow, lesson on learning how to tell when pork ribs are done, check out this AWESOME article by GrillSeeker.com. It does a great job explaining what visual cues to look for and explaining what does and what doesn’t work.
Pork Ribs with Vinegar Peppers (Cherry peppers)
Ingredients
- 1 Rack St Louis Style Ribs (Baby Backs work well here too) Trimmed and membrane removed
- 1 Cup pickled, sliced, cherry peppers with the liquid (or Calabrian chili peppers)
- 1 Cup White Wine
THE RUB
- 2-3 TSP finely minced fresh garlic
- 1.5 TSP kosher salt
- 1.5 TSP fresh ground pepper
- 2 TBS freshly chopped Rosemary (generous tablespoons!)
- dash EVOO to make a paste
Instructions
Prep the Ribs
- In a small bowl, mix together the rub ingredients. Rub ribs on both sides with mixture. Place ribs in a shallow baking pan. (I have an old fashioned aluminum pan that is perfect for this.) Cover the ribs with the Rub Mixture. Cover the pan with foil and cook immediately or refrigerate until ready to cook- up to 24 hours.
Cook the Ribs
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F
- Roast the covered ribs for 40 minutes. Test for tenderness. (They should be getting tender, but not falling off the bone.) Raise the temperature to 400 degrees, uncover the pan and roast for about 12 minutes or until the ribs are browned.
- Cover the ribs with the cherry tomatoes & their juices and the white wine. (If using Calabrian chili peppers, use half the amount and brush the chopped peppers on the ribs with a silicone brush) Return the pan to the oven for 5 minutes.
- When ribs are cool enough to handle, slice in single or double ribs and serve with a little liquid from the pan over each serving.
